Israeli observer delegation kicked out of AU summit in Addis Ababa

CAIRO - 18 February 2023: An Israeli observer delegation at the African Union (AU) summit held in Addis Ababa was kicked out of the opening ceremony on Saturday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

The Israeli ministry blamed both South Africa and Algeria for the severe diplomatic move, The Times of Israel reported.

The Israeli delegation was seen leaving after several minutes of discussion with the security guards who came up to the delegation during the summit, a video has showed.

The delegation was led by Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General for Africa Sharon Bar-Li.

"Israel views seriously the incident in which the deputy for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, was removed from the AU hall despite her status as an accredited observer with access badges," said the Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Lior Hayat.

Hayat described the AU as “hostage by a small number of extremist countries such as Algeria and South Africa, driven by hatred and controlled by Iran.”

Hayat called for the African countries to stand against such actions that “harm the organization of the African Union itself and the entire continent”.

Heads of state and government of the AU started on Saturday the 36th AU Summit at the AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, during which President of Comoros Azali Assoumani was elected to chair the organization for the next one year.